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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. rule — a law
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. net — for catching
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. chip — for betting
  8. net — in sport
  9. mug — a cup
  10. chip — to eat
  11. mug — a face
  12. net — after costs
  13. squash — the sport
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. bark — to shout
  17. squash — to crush
  18. fork — in a road
  19. bore — to drill
  20. rule — government
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. mug — to rob

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com